


stories of the sand

by NalaxSimba



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gaara (Naruto)-centric, Gen, Sand Siblings-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:08:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28739274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NalaxSimba/pseuds/NalaxSimba
Summary: 'The sun is warm; the sand rustles below him; and Gaara knows that he is home.' a series of short ficlets, based around Gaara Week on tumblr. theme three: quiet.
Relationships: Gaara & Kankurou & Temari, Gaara & Shinki (Naruto), Gaara & Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 2021 will be the year I finish my fanfics. I promise it. I'm in lockdown again so got nothing else to do. Anywho, it's Gaara Week on tumblr, and since he's my favourite Naruto character, I had to get involved!  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden or Boruto. I don't make any profit from this fanfic.  
> These ficlets will be short, because I'm writing these after work, but I kinda like this one.

_ day one: reflection _   
_Gaara looks at his reflection and asks who he is (feat. Shinki because he baby)._

As a baby, your reflection is something strange.

It's you, but you don't know it's you. And you spend so much time staring at it, waving your arms around and being amazed because the person in the mirror does it too! It's something fun and cute, and you don't realise the importance of your reflection and how you perceive it.

Some people love their reflection.

Some people hate it.

And some people don't know what to think.

He looks at his reflection again when he's five-all intending to find out what's wrong with him.

He doesn't look much different from the other children-he's roughly the same height as them, and he has all the same features. He has the same kind eyes and bright smile as the others. There are some differences: like the bright red hair (but other kids have colored hair too!), and most notably, the dark rings around his eyes.

Overall, he looks like a normal kid.

_'So,' _he wonders with sadness in those kind eyes, _'why don't the other children play with me?'___

* * *

The next time he studies his reflection, he's six years old-and all he sees when he looks at himself is a monster.

The kanji on his head says love, but his heart is filled with rage and anger. Those once kind eyes are gone, replaced with something much crueller.

He still doesn't know who truly he is, but he knows what he is. He's Gaara no Sabaku, the monster of the sand village.

If that's all the village saw him as, then that's what he would be.

* * *

When he's twelve years old, he stares at himself again, and once again, questions who he is.

For the very first time, his reflection is bruised, bloodied and beaten. It's been a week since the Chuunin Exams in Konoha, and every day, he stares at himself and tries to figure out who he is now.

If he's no longer the monster of Suna, what is he?

His eyes are no longer cruel or kind-now they're filled with confusion. He has a new appreciation for the kanji on his forehead-now he views it as a guide to live his life with.

He stares at himself for hours, and when Temari cautiously checks on him, he can't explain what he's doing. All he can do is ask the question that's plagued him.

"Who am I?"

Temari sputters and stares at him in confusion. Neither of them knows how to be real siblings just yet-it's all still so _new_ -, and so a question that should've been easy for Temari to answer is answered only by silence.

"I...don't know. I guess you're...Gaara?"

"But who is Gaara?" he asks again.

Temari is silent for a few seconds, before she meekly offers, "You're our little brother."

Temari's answer was meek; she wasn't sure of the answer herself.

Regardless, Gaara likes the answer, hoping he can continue to be 'their little brother'.

* * *

The next time Gaara studies himself in the mirror is when he's fifteen, just mere minutes before his inauguration as Kazekage.

The hat is a little too large, and he feels weird wearing the Kazekage robes-but he's happy.

He knows who he is now; he's the Fifth Kazekage; he is Sunagakure's leader. He is Gaara, and for once, he is proud of that.

* * *

His reflection appears before him one day when he is weak, and he can only guess that it's days after the Akatsuki captured him.

He can feel himself slipping away, but before he does, he studies the reflection in front of him. With death nearing, he finds himself questioning what he's leaving behind. Has he truly changed anything? Will he be missed?

And again, one question plagues his mind: who am I?

It appears he'll never have the answer.

He starts to slip away. Despite his concerns and questions, he knows his time is up.

_"Gaara!"_

He can hear someone calling him, but he's not sure who the voice belongs too.

_"Gaara."_

He opens his eyes, and he sees Naruto and his people.

He sits in silence as the people around him rejoice and cheer, and he studies them with awe.

In their eyes, he sees his hope, his determination, and his dreams.

That answers his question. He is Gaara, the Kazekage, and he is reflected within his people.

* * *

At some point, Gaara stops looking at his reflection-because after all these years, he's finally happy with what he sees. He's the Kazekage and the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. He is reflected within his people, and he reflects their hopes and dreams and the ability to make a change.

It's a normal day when he's alerted to an incident within the desert; an angry storm, with rumours circulating that a young child who possesses iron sand is the cause of the storm.

When he investigates, he finds a child-no older than eight-who eerily reminds Gaara of himself. The child seems filled with rage and anger. The child's eyes are filled with something cruel, and they stare at Gaara-momentarily reminding him of his own eyes and his own rage.

Gaara initiates a hug. The child attacks, but Gaara ignores the pain, and soon the storm around them disperses, and the child looks at him with confused eyes.

Gaara sees himself in the child's eyes, and he promises to help the child-to give the child what he never received.

His reflection tells a story through the years.

He was a baby, innocent to the world around him.

He was a child, confused by the glares and hurtful names thrown his way. He was the monster of Sunagakure.

He was a teenager, who finally became a little brother-a bond he still cherishes.

He is the Kazekage, his people's leader and his hopes and dreams are reflected in them.

He is a father-and he gives Shinki the upbringing he never had.

He is Gaara.


	2. fights

_day two: fight_

_once he fought for survival; now he fights for peace._

As a child, he fought for the right to live. He fought for his survival.

Looking back, he can't really blame himself for that; in a kill or be killed world, you have to ensure your own survival. The ninja world was harsh and cruel.

He never meant to hurt anyone, but apparently that was his role in his ninja world.

After Yashamaru's betrayal, he stops caring about those who he kills in his fights. They are nothing to him; just reminders of who he is and they exist only to fulfill their purpose to him. He fights alone; Temari and Kankuro watch silently.

And that was how things were supposed to be.

Until Naruto Uzumaki came along.

In their fight, Gaara saw courage and passion that was unmatched; a desire to protect something precious to him. Gaara tries his hardest to fight back, but the blonde Uzumaki is running on bare adrenaline,

At the end, neither of them can walk; but Naruto pushes forward and crawls towards him, and-for the first time-Gaara is genuinely terrified.

Gaara lost his very first fight that day-and he honestly doesn't even care.

It's not until he's sent on a mission with his siblings that he really sees just how much they missed out on.

It was a simple mission to deliver a scroll to a nearby district in the Land of Wind, far below their skill level-but after the disastrous invasion, Sunagakure needs all the money it can get, and the three take on multiple missions to try and give something back to the village.

An enemy attacked-whether they were after the scroll or the siblings themselves, they don't know.

The three fight bak, but their training has only prepared them for solo attacks. They've never been trained to fight together as a team. Gaara would always fight alone and kill their attackers. Whenever they had an overnight mission that called for night watches, Temari and Kankuro would swap between guard duty and sleeping, leaving only one defensive fighter.

As such, this fight is clunky. Temari gets shoved aside by Kankuro's large puppets, only for Kankuro's puppets to then be blown away by Temari's wind, and then Gaara releases a sand tsunami-and only later realises that his siblings are in the line of fire and his sand quickly diverts to protect them.

It's not until the barrage of sand, wind and puppets hits their attacker at the same time, that three have a fighting chance.

They win the fight and their attacker flees, and Temari jokingly suggests they train together as a team.

On their next mission, they fight like a well-oiled machine. Temari's wind disarms the enemies, Kankuro's puppets immobilize them, and Gaara's sand bullet knocks them out without hurting them too much.

As Kazekage, he no longer fights for his own benefit.

He fights to protect his village from invaders and threats. He fights for his people's rights, he fights to keep them safe.

After the war, the world is kinder.

Now Gaara fights for peace.


	3. quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> one day the silence left; and Gaara liked it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_day three: quiet  
_ _one day the silence left; and Gaara liked it._

As a child, his house was always quiet.

It was always just him and Yashamaru, in their little apartment together. Yashamaru worked during the day, so Gaara was left alone. He would play with his teddy and chatter to himself, but that was the only sound that would echo in the room.

When Yashamaru came home, they would have small conversations, with Gaara asking his uncle questions so that he could hear someone else's voice.

When Yashamaru died, he moved back in with his siblings and father.

Still, the silence was there. This time, it was tense. Kankuro and Temari walked on eggshells around him; his father was never there; and now, he had nobody else to talk too...unless Shukaku counted.

He pretended that he liked the silence.

* * *

After the Chuunin Exams, the silence in house slowly started to go away.

It started with Temari cleaning her fan in the main room, while Gaara wrote his mission reports. They would make small talk; about his missions, about her new jutsu she'd developed.

At some point, Kankuro joined them; and the sound of Gaara writing, Temari cleaning, and Kankuro building his puppets would echo through the room.

Soon, their conversations turned from small talk to genuine conversations about each other. Temari would cook meals for them all, and they'd sit in their main room, eating together. Kankuro would sit on the floor between them, Temari would sprawl across the sofa, and Gaara sat on the far end of the sofa; and they would talk about their days.

And soon, the house was always filled with conversations; the sound of Temari cooking, laughter from when Kankuro would fall asleep on the floor, pillow fights from Temari waking Kankuro up, conversations about their future, conversations about the village-and occasionally, there would be special, tender moments, where Temari would softly whisper _'I love you'_ to her brothers.

When the quiet moments did come up, it was a comfortable silence-much different to the sad silence when he was a child, and the awkward silence when he was a young teenager.

Finally, the house felt like a real home, even in the quiet moments. 


	4. dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone thought that he was dangerous. He did too until a certain blonde showed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I make a profit of this fanfiction.  
> Ships: implied GaaNaru.

_ day four: dangerous   
_ _everyone thought that he was dangerous. He did too until a certain blonde showed up._

_"He's dangerous,"_ parents would whisper to their children in hushed voices as they scurried them away. " _I don't want you playing with that one."_

Gaara held on to his belief that the only reason the children were so cruel to him was their parents' words.

Until the children began repeating it themselves.

 _"He's d'ngerous,"_ they would whisper to their friends. _"My mommy told me that. She said we couldn't play with him."_

His actions continued to support their beliefs; their words were true.

The more that Sunagakure believed he was dangerous, Gaara believed it too.

* * *

After the Chuunin Exams, Gaara tried to prove to the villagers that he wasn't dangerous; he was different now, and that he cared about the people and would never hurt them.

Despite his best efforts, the people still saw him as the same old Gaara.

Gaara tried not to care too much. The important people-Temari, Kankuro, Baki-knew that he was trying to change. Their opinions were important; the other villagers' opinions could wait.

Slowly but surely, the villagers' opinions did change, and he became their respected Kazekage.

* * *

Even as Kazekage, he couldn't seem to escape the judgement of the older generation. They still viewed him as dangerous, as a weapon; and they weren't too happy that he was Kazekage. They couldn't change it, so they held their tongues and dealt with it.

Naruto came to visit Sunagakure one day. Ever since the Akatsuki's attack, Naruto had become quite overprotective of Gaara and made sure to visit every so often.

Gaara cleared his schedule for the day. He would catch up on the paperwork later; he didn't get much time with Naruto. These days were special, important to both boys. Their days together were gentle and fun, as they ignored the usual bleakness of the shinobi world. They were just friends, hanging out.

Everything was fine.

However, that was until Naruto had seen the market vendors whispering and staring at them, and Naruto's interest was immediately piqued.

"Hey, blondie!" One called out to him. "Come over here for a second." 

Naruto glanced at Gaara, non-verbally asking for his permission. Gaara nodded, and Naruto headed over to the stall.

Once he was close enough, the vendor who called him over let out a small chuckle. "You seem pretty close with the Kazekage."

Naruto didn't like the man's tone. "He's my friend."

The second vendor, a small brunette, chuckled. "It's hard to imagine that guy having friends."

"Yeah," the first vendor chuckled, turning his gaze back to Naruto. "Word of advice, kid, don't get too close to him. He may be friendly to your face, but we don't know when he'll snap."

"And what's that supposed to imply?" Naruto's eyes narrowed, his fist clenched-his nails dug into his skin, causing his fist to bleed.

"He's dangerous-"

The only thing that saved the vendor from Naruto's fist was the wall of sand in between them.

* * *

"It's not fair how they treat you," Naruto huffed as the two sat in the little tea shop, staring at his cup of green tea. "You're their Kazekage now."

"The older generations still have their problems with me," Gaara argued, watching Naruto intently. The blonde still seemed distraught over what had happened. Gaara had only seen Naruto look so distraught once before-just after their battle all those years ago when Naruto admitted he had felt Gaara's pain.

(If only Gaara had seen how distraught Naruto had been over the redhead's death.)

"They shouldn't," Naruto said quietly, his voice almost breaking. "You've worked so damn hard to prove them wrong."

"It's just their way," Gaara replied. "One day, they may come around."

"How are you so calm about this?"

Gaara met Naruto's gaze. "I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be," Naruto reached over and placed his hands over Gaara's own. Gaara's eyes immediately widened, visibly confused. Was this affection?

It's not like he and Naruto were strangers; they shook each other's hands all the time, physical touching was a perk Naruto had. But Naruto had never been so affectionate with him before. It felt...nice.

Naruto, suddenly realising who he was with, pulled his hands away quickly. Gaara almost wanted to grab his hands and stop him from pulling away.

"Geez, Gaara, I'm sorry, I-"

"You don't need to apologise." Gaara interrupted. "This is how...friends interact, right?"

"...yeah."

A comfortable silence fell between the two before Naruto cleared his throat and spoke again.

"They're wrong, you know," Naruto said softly, his blue eyes meeting Gaara's turquoise ones.

"About what?"

"About you," Naruto said, his infamous grin pulling onto his face. "You're kind and loyal, and a damn good leader. I wish people saw you like that...hell, I wish you saw yourself like that. If only you could see yourself how I see you."

Gaara was speechless; so Naruto continued, taking the silence as an opportunity.

"Don't listen to their insults, okay? You're not dangerous."

Even as Kazekage, Gaara himself still felt that he was dangerous.

But with a few simple words from someone so important to him, Gaara began to believe that maybe he wasn't the dangerous one.

_I'm not dangerous._

Naruto's words were true.


	5. wounds will heal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day five: wounds will heal  
> Temari's child was their proof that wounds will heal, and that time helps. (baby Shikadai making his first appearance!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
> A/N: Originally, I planned to do something totally different for this, but the thought of sand siblings being a family was much more fluffier than 'Gaara broods about his kanji'.

"Our wounds will heal," Temari had promised him one night, as they sat together and watched the sandstorm that was outside of their window. "I promise."

It was a quiet night, with only the two of them downstairs; Kankuro was in his bedroom, repairing another puppet that had been damaged on their latest mission.

It had been a month since the failed invasion of Konoha, and Temari had started to sit downstairs with Gaara, to keep him company. Oftentimes, they just sat in silence while they worked, but every now and then they would talk about something-and today, it had been about their future.

"How can you promise that?" Gaara asked, glancing at his sister. "That's not a viable promise to make."

Temari, exasperated at Gaara's pessimism, rolled her eyes. "People say time heals. I didn't believe that when I was little, but I do now. And one day, I do think we can be a normal family."

"Are you sure?"

"...I mean, as normal as _we_ can get."

* * *

Temari was right. With time, the wounds inflicted from their past began to heal. They finally began to feel like siblings-not just strangers who shared the same DNA.

Temari began to cook meals for the family, instead of ordering takeout or making separate meals. She taught Gaara how to cook too, just in case she wasn't home one day. It was quiet at first; but then Gaara began to show off, using his sand to collect all the bowls and spices, with Temari indirectly cursing him as she climbed atop the bench to try and reach the saucepans before he could get them. And when Kankuro joined in on their lessons, regular food fights began (usually started by Kankuro saying something to annoy Temari, and Temari throwing the closest thing she could find at him). After they would clean together while their meals cooked, and then collapse on the sofa together and just talk about life.

Kankuro suggested games night. At first, it was competitions: who could throw a pillow highest in the air, or who could use their weapon of choice to complete the most mundane task. Then it delved into board games: complete with shouting, Temari and Kankuro getting so competitive, Gaara slyly stopping the sand timer to give himself more time (and getting away with it for months, until Temari caught him and banned any games involving sand timers). One day, Temari introduced a game: shogi. She was good at it too, which made Gaara and Kankuro question where she'd learnt how to play.

"It's a secret," Temari said, a blush on her cheeks.

"A secret named Nara?" Kankuro teased. He'd barely had time to duck away from the pillow Temari threw at his head, but it ended up missing him by several inches anyway. "Niiiiice. You're losing your edge, Temari."

Kankuro didn't miss the shogi board thrown out at his head.

When all was calm, the boys asked again. She brushed it off again, and the boys didn't push her.

But they knew the truth.

Gaara suggested they share books with each other. Fiction, educational books, whatever they wanted to read. Temari and Kankuro weren't huge bookworms, but they agreed because they loved their little brother and wanted to share his interests. Each would read a book, then recommend it to their siblings and let them borrow it.

Through reading alone, Gaara and Temari discovered a love for plants, Kankuro learnt how to tease Temari even more and began to teach Gaara (which Temari didn't appreciate). Gaara read books on the village's history-and Kankuro begged him to read anything that he found about the old puppeteer's of the village.

They would read silently together until something happened in one of the books, and one would let out a gasp or a scream.

"I can't believe she died!" Kankuro hollered one night while reading a fiction book. "Temari! You didn't tell me about that!"

"I wanted you to find out for yourself!" Temari retaliated. "And now you've spoiled it for Gaara!"

"Gaara, don't read this book," Kankuro turned his gaze to his brother, and his voice broke slightly. "It's heartbreaking."

"Are you crying?" Temari asked, a grin pulling on her face.

"No!"

Behind his book, Gaara smiled. They really _did_ feel like a normal family now.

* * *

And that feeling never went away. When Temari got married, her brothers visited Konoha for the wedding, and both shed tears of joy for her. They still wrote letters to her weekly, and when she told them she was expecting, Kankuro _squealed_ with joy, and Gaara could only repeat, "I'm going to be an uncle." over and over.

Shikadai's birth marked a lot of things. A mark of a strong alliance between Suna and Konoha, forever held together by the Sabaku-Nara boy. A mark of a new generation, one that wouldn't have to grow up in the same harsh world as his parents or uncles.

And, Shikadai's birth marked the completion of their healing process.


	6. turning point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'You're not alone.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or make any profit from this fanfic.  
> A/N: I don't really like this one, but it's the only inspiration I had. I missed an upload yesterday as I was at my dad's house and he has no Internet.

Gaara was exhausted.

Not the usual exhausted he felt, brought on by having no sleep and the only voice in his head was Shukaku.

No, he was drained-emotionally exhausted.

The blonde opposite him looked exhausted too. And yet, he pushed himself forward.

Gaara was _terrified_.

"Stay back!" he shrieked. If Naruto tried to attack again, Gaara knew he wouldn't be able to fight back. He would be weak, and Naruto would beat him again.

He didn't attack; instead, he turned his head and gazed at Gaara.

He spoke quietly, words barely above a whisper. "I understand how you feel."

 _That_ was his turning point.


	7. happy bithday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> happy birthday  
> “happy birthday, Gaara!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy (belated) birthday sand baby!!  
> a day late because of work responsibilities.  
> also a collab with the super talented stirka from tumblr! link to her fanart here: https://stirka.tumblr.com/post/640859774223810560/gaaraweek2021-day-8-happy-bit-late-bday

It was his birthday.

His birthday had never really been something he celebrated before: his birthday marked the day he lost his mother, and that always took priority over his birth. Even after all these years, he and his siblings just weren’t accustomed to celebrating birthdays. The most they really did was have a small cake and give each other cards.

But as soon as Naruto Uzumaki found out that Gaara didn’t celebrate his birthday, he began to plan a day of celebration for the redhead.

_“You deserve this,” Naruto had said as they planned their trip together. “You deserve to have a good time celebrating, Gaara. What about this cherry blossom festival?”_

And that was why Gaara was now sitting in a hotel room, staring at a yukata...and he felt happy. He could finally celebrate his birthday, with one of the most important people in his life, like a normal person. It felt good.

Gaara was pulled out of his thoughts by a knocking on the door.

“Yo, Gaara, you ready? I’ve got a surprise for you!”

“Two minutes,” Gaara called back. “You know you didn’t have to plan anything, Naruto.”

“I wanted to.”

Gaara felt his heartbeat quicken at Naruto’s words.

* * *

Gaara had to admit, he was a little...worried about Naruto’s surprise. Naruto was vibrant, he liked large groups and lots of noise. Gaara was the opposite; he was an introvert, small groups of people who meant more to him and liked the quiet.

He had some reservations that Naruto had planned a huge party, and, while he would appreciate it, he would rather have a quiet celebration than anything else.

Fortunately, to Gaara’s surprise, nothing like that seemed to be in Naruto’s plan. The first thing Naruto had planned was to go get food...ramen of course.

They talked amongst themselves, and Gaara was happy they weren’t in a shinobi village. Their names and faces were known much more in the shinobi villages than in the civilian villages, which meant that at the moment, they were given privacy they usually didn’t get.

Naruto wolfed down his ramen before glancing at Gaara. “What do you think? It’s not as good as Konoha’s ramen, but it’s a good second!”

Gaara chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “I liked it.”

“I’m glad,” Naruto grinned, resting his cheek on the palm of his hand. “Today’s about you, Gaara. Your happiness is my priority today!”

Gaara felt heat race to his cheeks at Naruto’s words, and had to glance away quickly before Naruto could see.

* * *

After their meal, Naruto took Gaara for a quiet walk, and Gaara was in awe at the beauty of the festival.

He could hear the other festival-goers, but Naruto always kept the two away from the other people--as if he knew that the two would enjoy it more alone.

“You know, I like this quiet.” Naruto said truthfully. “It’s welcoming. And I like spending this time with you.”

Gaara focused on the falling cherry blossoms around him, trying to hide the darkening of his cheeks.

The two stood on the bridge, glancing at the water below. Naruto initiated the conversation, a gentle smile on his face.

“Have you had a good day?”

Gaara nodded. “Thank you, Naruto. It means a lot to have a friend like you.”

Naruto shrugged. “It’s no problem, Gaara. You deserve it.” A playful grin fought its way onto his face. “And I have a surprise for you! Stay right here, I’ll be a couple of minutes!”

Gaara chuckled dryly as he watched Naruto sprint away. Out of the corner of his eye, Gaara could see Naruto chatting away to a vendor.

True to his word, Naruto came back just a few minutes later, a happy grin on his face as he presented Gaara a bouquet of succulents. “Here’s your birthday gift!”

Gaara stared at the beautiful arrangement in awe, his heartbeat speeding up and his cheeks bright red. This time, he couldn’t even try to hide it.

Naruto handed him the succulent bouquet and scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I read somewhere that people liked to get bouquets...but I knew you weren’t into flowers. But I knew you were into succulents, so I thought I’d get you one of these instead!”

Gaara’s eyes widened. “How did you...how did you find them?”

Naruto grinned playfully. “This is why I wanted to bring you here. Ino came here for a flower festival last year and told me about them. I knew you were into succulents, so it was a perfect birthday gift. I sent a messenger bird to the seller and he kept them for me.”

“Naruto...thank you.”

Naruto leaned forward, grinning in Gaara’s direction.

“Happy birthday, Gaara.”


End file.
